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Makes gopher version more accessible 

Changes gopher version to ordinary, hard-wrapped, single-column
text format from the three-column broadsheet style.

Also adds the link to the zine repo at dome.circumlunar.space in
distributing.txt/.gmi
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mieum 2021-05-24 22:15:48 +09:00
parent 8f1c696cb2
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zine/distributing.gmi
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```
# Distributing the Zine
Circumlunar Transmissions is made freely available to distribute on- and offline. To distribute the zine on your own smolnet space, simply clone the repository and either symlink or copy the "zine" folder somewhere into your gopherhole or gemini capsule. A current version of the repo can be cloned from one of the following remotes:
Circumlunar Transmissions is made freely available to distribute on- and offline. To distribute the zine on your own smolnet space, simply clone the repository and either symlink or copy the "zine" folder somewhere into your gopherhole or gemini capsule.
Primary repository:
* git://dome.circumlunar.space/~clt/transmissions.git
Secondary remotes:
* https://tildegit.org/~mieum/circumlunar-transmissions.git
* https://namu.blue/~mieum/circumlunar-transmissions.git

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DISTRIBUTING THE ZINE
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Circumlunar Transmissions is made freely available to distribute on- and offline. To distribute the zine on your own smolnet space, simply clone the repository and either symlink or copy the "zine" folder somewhere into your gopherhole or gemini capsule. A current version of the repo can be cloned from one of the following remotes:
Circumlunar Transmissions is made freely available to distribute
on- and offline. To distribute the zine on your own smolnet space,
simply clone the repository and either symlink or copy the "zine"
folder somewhere into your gopherhole or gemini capsule.
Primary repository:
* git://dome.circumlunar.space/~clt/transmissions.git
Secondary remotes:
* https://tildegit.org/~mieum/circumlunar-transmissions.git
* https://namu.blue/~mieum/circumlunar-transmissions.git

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zine/issue001/ask-jone-001.txt
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@ -14,60 +14,61 @@ Issue One May 2021
What are some things I can do to help repair it?"
I remember my dad feels like eating Chunk'n'Dunk? Not
and I went through anymore. Although great. And I guess
this patch where that stuff is dad's thinking along
we were both pretty just not very the same lines as me,
pissed off at each nutritious. But because every time I
other, not that I because I'm mad come by he leaves me
remember why at at him, I don't another pair of snow
this point. But bother to bring tires he found. But
sharing is caring, his favorite, the I'm not selling tires
right? So to keep meatball-carrot stew any more by then,
things going, I'm one. Instead, I bring so I don't want
still dropping off him can after can of them. And he knows
cans of Chunk'n'Dunk turkey-a-la-king. You that, but he keeps on
soup for him, because ever try getting tires anyhow.
it's all he ever that one from
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And so we go on like of cans. And some it I find that
this for weeks: falls on his head co-incidentally the
I come by and put and he falls over, big pile of snow
like 5 more cans of and the rest of the tires out there has
turkey-a-la-king on cans come crashing also fallen over,
his kitchen counter, down on him. Pretty and it's crushed some
and he stacks a few bad scene. So I go unlucky little gnome
more snow tires to help him up, but who must have been
outside his door I slip and trip on a milling around by
for me. And all can on the floor, and there. Those things
this stuff is piling hit the ground hard are so bad at staying
higher and higher and too. And if you've alive, I just can't
higher, and we're ever fallen on a believe it sometimes.
gradually getting pile of Chunk'n'Dunk
madder and madder at turkey-a-la-king Anyways, if you're
each other. Until one cans, you know that looking to patch
day I go over there hurts pretty bad. things up with your
with another box of sister, I would say
cans, and he starts So we're both maybe don't do it
screaming and yelling groaning on the with canned soup,
about how he hates ground, and then or snow tires. It
turkey-a-la-king. And there's this weird sure didn't help us
he gets so mad he sound by the front any. It just wasn't
accidentally knocks door. When I get a good result for
over the stack out there to check anyone, especially
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
for that gnome. Or
if you have to
go with soup, at ________________________
least stick with |\ /|
the meatball-carrot | \ joneworlds / |
one. It's actually | \ @ / |
not bad. | \ mailbox.org / |
| \______________/ |
Thanks for writing | / \ |
in. I hope that | / \ |
helps. |____/_____________\_____|
-JONE
I remember my dad and I went through this patch where we were both
pretty pissed off at each other, not that I remember why at this
point. But sharing is caring, right? So to keep things going, I'm
still dropping off cans of Chunk'n'Dunk soup for him, because it's
all he ever feels like eating anymore. Although that stuff is just
not very nutritious. But because I'm mad at him, I don't bother to
bring his favorite, the meatball-carrot stew one. Instead, I bring
him can after can of turkey-a-la-king. You ever try that one from
Chunk'n'Dunk? Not great. And I guess dad's thinking along the same
lines as me, because every time I come by he leaves me another pair
of snow tires he found. But I'm not selling tires any more by then,
so I don't want them. And he knows that, but he keeps on getting
tires anyhow.
And so we go on like this for weeks: I come by and put like 5 more
cans of turkey-a-la-king on his kitchen counter, and he stacks a
few more snow tires outside his door for me. And all this stuff is
piling higher and higher and higher, and we're gradually getting
madder and madder at each other. Until one day I go over there with
another box of cans, and he starts screaming and yelling about how
he hates turkey-a-la-king. And he gets so mad he accidentally
knocks over the stack of cans. And some falls on his head and he
falls over, and the rest of the cans come crashing down on him.
Pretty bad scene. So I go to help him up, but I slip and trip on a
can on the floor, and hit the ground hard too. And if you've ever
fallen on a pile of Chunk'n'Dunk turkey-a-la-king cans, you know
that hurts pretty bad.
So we're both groaning on the ground, and then there's this weird
sound by the front door. When I get out there to check it I find
that co-incidentally the big pile of snow tires out there has also
fallen over, and it's crushed some unlucky little gnome who must
have been milling around by there. Those things are so bad at
staying alive, I just can't believe it sometimes.
Anyways, if you're looking to patch things up with your sister, I
would say maybe don't do it with canned soup, or snow tires. It
sure didn't help us any. It just wasn't a good result for anyone,
especially for that gnome. Or if you have to go with soup, at least
stick with the meatball-carrot one. It's actually not bad.
Thanks for writing in. I hope that helps.
-JONE
________________________
|\ /|
| \ joneworlds / |
| \ @ / |
| \ mailbox.org / |
| \______________/ |
| / \ |
| / \ |
|____/_____________\_____|
- - - ------------------------------------------------------- - - -

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zine/issue001/durtal_hearth-of-the-matter.txt
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@ -7,71 +7,69 @@ Issue One May 2021
====================[ THE HEARTH OF THE MATTER ]===================
by durtal
It seems that Kepler Hobbes brought 'focus' life in unfortunate
first used the Latin into broader English ways.
word 'focus' in 1604 parlance nearly fifty
to refer to 'the point years later. I don't Ironically, the
of convergence' in the know if he did this political philosopher
mathematical sphere. with a magnifying who espoused that
It is possible that glass or not. But, humans are "all take
this is an analogical Hobbes is certainly and little give" used
use of the term and not my favourite a word that belied
may reference the philosopher. With its his contentions in
point of light created particular take on the original. Focus
with a lens. You human nature, he is the Latin
probably know what I published Leviathan equivalent of the Old
mean. I remember about the same time he English word
another child showing popularised a word 'hearth'. People
me a trick with a whose use is still used the latter
magnifying glass ubiquitous but whose term in my youth,
outside one sunny day. original meaning is especially in rural
He quickly adjusted too often unknown. regions. Phrases like
the glass's height Sometimes the "hearth and home" and
over my forearm to abstractions of "keep the home fires
effect a sharp pain as science and a specific burning" catch
the converging rays sort of philosophy something of its
burned a hole in my separate us from the ethos. The hearth was
skin. mundane realities of where household
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members gathered to it is to wait in them and drink your
cook or to work by the anticipation for the morning coffee. You
hearthstone's warmth of a fire on a smile and share a
firelight. In its cold winter's morning. joke or two with your
warmth, children sat Others gather close to fellows. One of them
to hear the stories of you, hoping to absorb ruefully remembers
the family and a little of your that it is his day to
community after dusk. body's heat while they do the dishes; they
Kith and kin wait too. You each rub are piling up as
entertained themselves and blow warm breaths the others finish
with music and onto your hands and and go. This time,
drinking and dance comment on the cold, like its later
nearby. In some and you remark on the double, is
cultures, families day ahead. As the a short space of
kept ancestral bones kindling catches, hope intimacy before
beneath the builds and blossoms as separation.
hearthstone. Here was the flames devour the
a point of convergence larger pieces of wood. By analogy, sunrise
in the human habitat. The fire roars madly is like the birth of
as you back away, a child for whom the
The rising or setting waiting for the wooden family cares. Such
sun reminds me of a pyramid to collapse. brief familial
hearth fire as it When there are coals intimacy is still
converges on the left mostly, you cook most often the case
horizon. I know what your breakfast over for the young. But,
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not so for the members, nurse the that the world offers
elderly. We fill the frail and wash their in this day when
noon meridians of our bodies late in life hearth fires and home
lives so completely and at its very end. are all but
with striving and Frequently, there is forgotten. We now
drift so far from one only the intimacy of only focus camera
another that, too strangers who alone lenses
often, family members know where the bare (automatically).
no longer live near bones of our final
to one another at the days lie before we Did old Thomas Hobbes
sunset of a loved slip into the deep have a point?
one's life. Now dark of death's
others, not family night. This is all
It seems that Kepler first used the Latin word 'focus' in 1604 to
refer to 'the point of convergence' in the mathematical sphere. It
is possible that this is an analogical use of the term and may
reference the point of light created with a lens. You probably know
what I mean. I remember another child showing me a trick with a
magnifying glass outside one sunny day. He quickly adjusted the
glass's height over my forearm to effect a sharp pain as the
converging rays burned a hole in my skin.
Hobbes brought 'focus' into broader English parlance nearly fifty
years later. I don't know if he did this with a magnifying glass or
not. But, Hobbes is certainly not my favourite philosopher. With
its particular take on human nature, he published Leviathan about
the same time he popularised a word whose use is ubiquitous but
whose original meaning is too often unknown. Sometimes the
abstractions of science and a specific sort of philosophy separate
us from the mundane realities of life in unfortunate ways.
Ironically, the political philosopher who espoused that humans are
"all take and little give" used a word that belied his contentions
in the original. Focus is the Latin equivalent of the Old English
word 'hearth'. People still used the latter term in my youth,
especially in rural regions. Phrases like "hearth and home" and
"keep the home fires burning" catch something of its ethos. The
hearth was where household members gathered to cook or to work by
the hearthstone's firelight. In its warmth, children sat to hear
the stories of the family and community after dusk. Kith and kin
entertained themselves with music and drinking and dance nearby. In
some cultures, families kept ancestral bones beneath the
hearthstone. Here was a point of convergence in the human habitat.
The rising or setting sun reminds me of a hearth fire as it
converges on the horizon. I know what it is to wait in anticipation
for the warmth of a fire on a cold winter's morning. Others gather
close to you, hoping to absorb a little of your body's heat
while they wait too. You each rub and blow warm breaths onto
your hands and comment on the cold, and you remark on the
day ahead. As the kindling catches, hope builds and
blossoms as the flames devour the larger pieces of wood.
The fire roars madly as you back away, waiting for the
wooden pyramid to collapse. When there are coals left
mostly, you cook your breakfast over them and drink your
morning coffee. You smile and share a joke or two with your
fellows. One of them ruefully remembers that it is his day
to do the dishes; they are piling up as the others finish
and go. This time, like its later double, is a short space
of intimacy before separation.
By analogy, sunrise is like the birth of a child for whom the
family cares. Such brief familial intimacy is still most often the
case for the young. But, not so for the elderly. We fill the noon
meridians of our lives so completely with striving and drift so far
from one another that, too often, family members no longer live
near to one another at the sunset of a loved one's life. Now
others, not family members, nurse the frail and wash their bodies
late in life and at its very end. Frequently, there is only the
intimacy of strangers who alone know where the bare bones of our
final days lie before we slip into the deep dark of death's night.
This is all that the world offers in this day when hearth fires and
home are all but forgotten. We now only focus camera lenses
(automatically).
Did old Thomas Hobbes have a point?
- - - ------------------------------------------------------- - - -

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===========================[ PREFACE ]=============================
Back in February, Anyone who has had The strategy of this
around the time of the pleasure of first run has been to
the ogre incident, perusing the many just get it out
Jone wondered out phlogs and gemlogs there. Rather than
loud on the here at prematurely
circumlunar.space circumlunar.space exhausting our energy
BBS, telem, about the will be aware of the on determining what
possibility of a CS impressive diversity it should be, or
zine. The idea was of interests, pidgeonholing
well-received by the talents, and ourselves into a
rest of us sundogs, backgrounds of the niche or format
and for some time, sundogs residing without actually
talk of the zine here. It will be having produced any
flooded telem as we interesting to see content, we elected
proceeded to howl at how these influence to first just give it
the moon in the zine over time, a go and see what we
excitement. Amidst but currently what get. So for this
this jubilee, I the zine is and how first issue, we have
somehow ended up it will be produced what has been
wearing the is largely still up endearingly termed a
proverbial editor in the air. It's "topic salad." And I
pants--for this really just a fun believe it has turned
inaugural issue, at experiment, and this out to be quite a
least. first issue is a kind nutritious one at
of pilot episode. that.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Circumlunar printable formats have otherwise. It is
Transmissions will be that readers can with profound
distributed easily print-and-bind gratitude and pride
exclusively over for their own for this habitat and
Gopher and Gemini by enjoyment offline its inhabitants,
whoever would like to or to distribute and the smolnet
host a copy on their locally. ecosystem at
own gopherhole or large, that I
capsule. That is, It has been a present to you
anyone can clone the pleasure to this first issue
git repo of the contribute something of our smolzine,
project and serve its to this wonderful Circumlunar
contents from their community of Transmissions.
own smolnet space. thoughtful and
This kind of creative individuals
"newstand" method of whom I respect and
distribution solves a admire sincerely.
lot of the logistical During my relatively ~mieum
issues of where and brief inhabitation of April 25, 2021
how to bi-host such a the Zaibatsu, I've Incheon, Korea
thing in an learnt a great many
accessible way. In things and have been
addition to Gopher inspired to create
and Gemini editions, and wonder about
we intend to provide things I would not
Back in February, around the time of the ogre incident, Jone
wondered out loud on the circumlunar.space BBS, telem, about the
possibility of a CS zine. The idea was well-received by the rest of
us sundogs, and for some time, talk of the zine flooded telem as we
proceeded to howl at the moon in excitement. Amidst this jubilee, I
somehow ended up wearing the proverbial editor pants--for this
inaugural issue, at least.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of perusing the many phlogs and
gemlogs here at circumlunar.space will be aware of the impressive
diversity of interests, talents, and backgrounds of the sundogs
residing here. It will be interesting to see how these influence
the zine over time, but currently what the zine is and how it will
be produced is largely still up in the air. It's really just a fun
experiment, and this first issue is a kind of pilot episode.
The strategy of this first run has been to just get it out there.
Rather than prematurely exhausting our energy on determining what
it should be, or pidgeonholing ourselves into a niche or format
without actually having produced any content, we elected to first
just give it a go and see what we get. So for this first issue, we
have what has been endearingly termed a "topic salad." And I
believe it has turned out to be quite a nutritious one at that.
Circumlunar Transmissions will be distributed exclusively over
Gopher and Gemini by whoever would like to host a copy on their own
gopherhole or capsule. That is, anyone can clone the git repo of
the project and serve its contents from their own smolnet space.
This kind of "newstand" method of distribution solves a lot of the
logistical issues of where and how to bi-host such a thing in an
accessible way. In addition to Gopher and Gemini editions, we
intend to provide printable formats that readers can easily
print-and-bind for their own enjoyment offline or to distribute
locally.
It has been a pleasure to contribute something to this wonderful
community of thoughtful and creative individuals whom I respect and
admire sincerely. During my relatively brief inhabitation of the
Zaibatsu, I've learnt a great many things and have been inspired to
create and wonder about things I would not have otherwise. It is
with profound gratitude and pride for this habitat and its
inhabitants, and the smolnet ecosystem at large, that I present to
you this first issue of our smolzine, Circumlunar Transmissions.
~mieum
April 25, 2021
Incheon, Korea
- - - ------------------------------------------------------- - - -

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zine/issue001/sloum_circumlunar-mixtape-001.txt
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@ -6,18 +6,24 @@ Issue One May 2021
===================[ THE CIRCUMLUNAR MIXTAPE ]=====================
- - -[ sloum's covid-year playlist ]- - -
The Circumlunar Mixtape is an ongoing series for Circumlunar
Transmissions where one user per issue shares 10 tracks they have
been listening to. .------------------------. Y'all have all
kinds of ways to | CT001 | stream music, or
otherwise find and | __ ______ __ | listen to music, so
tracks are just | /. \|\.....|/ \ | listed and it is on
the reader to locate | \__/|/_____|\__/ | them. As a court-
esy, when a weblink | sloum | to streaming is
available, playlist | ________________ | curators may choose
to supply it. |___/_._o________o_._\___|
been listening to. Y'all have all kinds of ways to stream or
otherwise find and listen to music, so tracks are just listed and
it is on the reader to locate them. As a courtesy, when a weblink
to streaming is available playlist curators may choose to supply
it.
- - -[ sloum's covid-year playlist ]- - -
.------------------------.
| CT001 |
| __ ______ __ |
| /. \|\.....|/ \ |
| \__/|/_____|\__/ |
| sloum |
| ________________ |
|___/_._o________o_._\___|
These are songs I have listened to at various points throughout the
last year. Some are old some are new. It has been a weird year and

581
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@ -10,301 +10,292 @@ Issue One May 2021
ASTRONOMICAL SECONDS
Why is a second as didn't, so you're "why is a day as long
long as it is, and not stuck reading this, as it is?" - one day
a little shorter or a instead: a brief, is the time it takes
little longer? This incomplete, possibly the Earth to complete
is a seemingly simple slightly inaccurate a single revolution
question which leads overview based on my about its axis. And
down a deep and own characteristically since there are 60
delightfully twisted obsessive reading on seconds in a minute,
rabbit hole. It's the topic over the 60 minutes in an hour
something that I wish past week or so. and 24 hours in a day,
Neal Stephenson had a second is simply one
written an epically For most of the time 86,400th of the time
long, inexplicably that the concept of it takes the Earth to
compelling 1990s Wired the second has been rotate once. Or, if
article about, in the around, its length has you like, a second is
spirit of his "Mother been defined the time it takes for
Earth, Mother Board" implicitly by that of the Earth to rotate
or "In the Kingdom of the day. Everybody one 240th of a degree,
Mao Bell". But he knows the answer to out of the full 360.
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End of story, right? observatories tracking enough to notice
the movement of this). In fact, the
Well, no. This is a distant radio sources Earth's rotation is
perfectly sensible way across the sky as the slowing down. Very
to define time - for Earth rotates. This slowly, of course.
some applications, is easier than making Every century, a
it's the best way to precision measurements complete rotation
do it. This of the sun, but is takes about 2
astronomically still measuring the milliseconds longer
defined time scale is exact same thing. than it used to. The
still in use today in rate of slowing down
certain contexts. The EARTH IS A NICE PLACE is not steady. Some
official name of its TO LIVE, BUT IT'S NOT years the change is
modern incarnation is THE BEST CLOCK more and other years
Universal Time, or UT it's less. In fact,
(technically, there The problem with an even though the
are a few subtly astronomical overall trend is one
different variants, definition of the of slowing down, some
denoted UT0, UT1 and second is this: the years the rotation
UT2, but we'll gloss Earth doesn't actually actually speeds up.
over that here). The rotate at a perfectly The dynamics of the
official determination constant rate (it process are
of UT nowadays is wasn't until the 19th complicated, and we
based mostly on century that we could can't make accurate
measurements made at build clocks accurate long term forecasts.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Gravitational small, random was going to be late
interaction between fluctuations in their to lunch because of
the Earth and the moon duration over long the Earth's unsteady
is the primary driver, time spans. If you rotation. But by the
but the movement of define the second by 20th century, sci-
tectonic plates and looking into the entific and techno-
friction between skies, no two seconds logical progress
Earth's surface and are exactly the same. meant these tiny
its atmosphere and fluctuations started
oceans have their say, That's a pretty to matter, as we
too. The Indian Ocean inconvenient property began measuring
Earthquake in 2004 was for the official natural phenomena and
powerful enough to definition of a building machines
shorten the length of fundamentally which operated on
a day by 2.68 important unit like very small time
microseconds. There the second to have. scales. A 10 mega-
are even periodic For most of the time hertz radio
variations in the rate this definition was oscillator, for
of rotation that we used, the fluctuations example, has a period
just don't understand were smaller than we of 0.0000001 seconds
the cause of yet. But could reliably --only 100 nano-
the take home message measure. Certainly, seconds! Gigahertz
is that, whatever the they weren't enough to radiation, which is
causes, astronomical have an impact on important in radio
seconds actually have everyday life. Nobody astronomy and was
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used for communi- Fortunately, in the The new atomic second
cations and radar 1950s, atomic clocks was defined such that
during WWII decades were invented which it had the same
before it came to kept time better than length as the
underpin modern any previous astronomical second
technology like GPS, mechanism. I'll gloss in use before it, as
WiFi, and mobile data right over the far as measurements
networks, has periods details, but suffice at the time could
measured in it to say, we came up tell, but it had the
*picoseconds*. Even with a new way to added bonus that the
very, very small define the second length of the second
variations in the which involved was then fixed and
length of a second are measuring the unchanging. Caesium
enough to make the properties of caesium atoms at a given
measured frequency of atoms instead of temperature "vibrate"
radio waves change, looking at things (very loosely
even if the *actual* moving through the speaking) at a
frequency is fixed. sky. In 1967, the frequency which, as
Modern technological relatively young far as we can tell,
society simply International System is completely and
couldn't be built (or SI, for the French perfectly stable, and
using a wobbly clock "Système which can be measured
like the Earth. International") of very accurately in a
units redefined the sufficiently advanced
ATOMIC SECONDS second on this basis. laboratory.
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With the arrival of until now is a little other hand, is
atomic seconds, a new less than 40 seconds, fundamentally
time scale was also but it will continue divorced from it.
defined: International to grow, without Thousands of years in
Atomic Time (or TAI, limit. And while the the future, there
for the French "Temps perfectly uniform will come a day when,
Atomique Inter- seconds of TAI make it according to TAI, the
national"). At mid- the perfect tool for sun rises in
night on January 1st some tasks, this drift Greenwich at
in 1958, TAI and UT apart from UT makes it midnight.
were perfectly problematic for
synchronised. Ever others. If you go This isn't just an
since then, they have outside at noon UT in abstract concern for
slowly but surely Greenwich, England (or the distant future.
drifted apart. The anywhere else at 0 In the late '50s when
seconds of TAI are of degrees longitude), TAI was defined, it
perfectly unchanging the sun will *always* was still common for
length (as measured by be high in the sky. ships at sea to
averaging hundreds of This is true today and figure out where they
atomic clocks all over it will be true in a were by using a
the world), but the thousand years, sextant to record the
seconds of UT Because UT is position of the sun
fluctuate with the fundamentally linked above the horizon at
Earth's rotation. The to the Earth's a certain time and
accumulated drift up rotation. TAI, on the consulting a printed
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table of conversions. increasingly less International de
For this purpose, accurate as TAI l'Heure", but today
ships carried the most drifted further out of the torch has been
accurate clocks they synch with the Earth passed to a
could afford, and and the stars. This combination of the
compared them meant that the "new International Bureau
regularly against true and improved" TAI time of Weights and
UT time using time scale wasn't actually Measures, or BIPM,
signals broadcast by an improvement for for the French
radio stations all everybody. "Bureau International
over the world. des Poids et Mesures"
Celestial navigation COORDINATING CHAOS and the International
works very well when Instead of Earth Rotation
using a timescale broadcasting two Service, who have the
which is tightly different time signals gall to abbreviate
linked to Earth's for different the *English* version
rotation, and hence purposes, which could of their name and go
the position of things easily lead to by IERS) defined yet
in the sky. But if the confusion, on January another time scale,
radio time signals 1st in 1960 the powers in an attempt to
switched to that be (back then achieve the best of
broadcasting TAI that was the both worlds and make
instead of UT, International Time everybody happy.
celestial navigation Bureau, or BIH, for Enter Coordinated
would become the French "Bureau Universal Time, or
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
UTC - at last, allowing scientists technical
something normal and engineers around compromises, using
people have heard of! the world to ugly hacks. It cannot
calibrate their be any other way, as
The abbreviation UTC instruments and UTC is a stubborn
is a strange reliably measure time attempt to reconcile
compromise between intervals and two desirable but
the English frequencies very fundamentally
abbreviation CUT and precisely. But incompatible
the French whereas TAI is properties of a
abbreviation TUC (for destined to drift timescale: perfectly
"Temps Universel ever further away regular seconds, and
Coordonné"). This is from UT, to the synchronisation with
somewhat fitting, chagrin of sailors a spinning globe
because UTC itself is and astronomers, UTC whose rate of
a strange compromise is kept synchronised rotation is
time scale between UT closely enough with unpredictably
and TAI. Like TAI, UT that it allows irregular.
UTC is an atomic time seafarers to perform
scale. Every second celestial navigation The precise nature of
of UTC is exactly as with sufficient the ugly hack
long as any other, accuracy for safe underlying UTC has
using the SI standard ocean passage. This changed somewhat
second based on synchronisation is since it was first
caesium atoms, achieved, like all defined, but for
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
almost 50 years now, not absolutely fixed rather than removals.
starting in 1972, the at 86,400 by They don't happen on
ugly hack of choice definition. There a regular,
has been the leap almost always *are* predictable basis,
second. The way it 86,400 seconds in a like leap years
works is this. The UTC day, but 86,401 (which are an
difference between and 86,399 are also adjustment for the
UTC and UT - a allowed when fact that the time it
quantity denoted DUT necessary to keep the takes the Earth to
- is carefully time scale locked to orbit the sun once,
monitored. Any time the movement of the defining a year, is
it looks like that sun across the sky. not perfectly
difference is on divisible by the time
track to exceed 0.9 So far, there have it takes the Earth to
seconds, in either been 27 leap seconds rotate once, defining
direction, UTC is defined, although UTC a day). Because the
kicked back into and ATI are today Earth's rate of
alignment by either exactly 37 seconds rotation fluctuates
inserting or removing apart - the other 10 randomly, sometimes
a single second on seconds come from slowing down and
one particular day. hacks applied before sometimes speeding
This makes UTC the leap seconds were up, astronomers need
*only* time scale established in 1972. to be actively on the
where the number of All of them to date lookout for excessive
seconds in a day is have been insertions values of DUT. When
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
it's decided a leap precise time technology means that
second is needed - synchronisation celestial navigation
it's the IERS who should be caught by at sea is now rarely
makes that call - surprise when a leap a matter of life or
they are announced at second rolls around. death (although some
least six months in In practice, it's not sailors still
advance. They're always so simple. appreciate the
allowed to occur on relative simplicity
either June 30th or INCREASING of the technology it
December 31st, and IMPLEMENTATION BURDEN relies on), removing
are inserted or AND AN UNCERTAIN some of the argument
deleted at midnight FUTURE for making sure UTC
UTC (which is the stays in lock step
middle of the day in Leap seconds have with the Earth's
some time zones, of always had their rotation. At the same
course) on those critics, but at the time, the internet
days. At the time of time they were has come along: a
writing, the last adopted, their massive network of
leap second happened benefits arguably computers talking to
on December 31st, balanced their each other, with the
2016. In principle, associated hassle. 50 frequent need for
six months is enough years later, this hack activity on one to be
advance warning that is starting to show synchronised with
nobody doing anything its age. The advent of activity on another
which depends on cheap and reliable GPS (hence tools like the
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Network Time Protocol, added to software as Some systems, of
NTP). Computer an afterthought - if course, forget to do
programmers *hate* they are added at all. anything at all.
leap seconds, for the Some systems represent Because all the leap
same reason they hate the extra second using seconds to date have
Daylight Saving Time: the timestamp been insertions
they complicate time 23:59:60, but others rather than removals,
calculations (you instead repeat the it's a safe bet that
can't accurately timestamp 23:59:59 there's plenty of
calculate the number twice (since some software out there
of seconds between two software will fail to which has worked
UTC timestamps without parse a timestamp correctly so far but
consulting a table of ending in :60). Other will fail the first
when previous leap systems "smear" the time a second is
seconds were inserted) leap second out over removed. And the
and are a frequent longer time periods, Earth's rotation is
cause of confusion and like 24 hours, to going through a bit
errors, when one avoid problems of a fast phase right
system implements them associated with sudden now, so the first
differently from discontinuities. This negative leap second
another its trying to just leads to a whole might be looming on
interoperate with. day of small, slowly the horizon.
varying errors
Affordances for leap compared to The software
seconds are often non-smearing systems. interoperability
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
situation at the time option. It's one thing cause are only likely
of a leap second is to shut down the New to get worse. The
bad enough that York Stock Exchange atomic definition of
several major stock for an hour, but Air second likely isn't
exchanges simply Traffic Control has to going away any time
agreed to voluntarily stay up 24/7. It's no soon, though, and
shut down for an hour surprise that that means that
around midnight UTC in increasingly many getting rid of leap
2016, rather than risk voices in the tech seconds entirely
problems by continuing industry are calling means abandoning the
to trade during the for leap seconds to be millennia old notion
leap second. Given abolished. Plenty of that the way we
that a number of major people are very represent time is
web services, unhappy with that intimately linked
including Amazon, idea, of course, not with the natural
Instagram, Netflix and to mention there's no cycle of night and
Twitter, experienced consensus on what to day. Assuming we're
outages around this do instead. not willing to do
time, this was that, there are only
probably not a bad It's far from clear two alternatives:
idea. Of course, what the future holds coming up with a new
simply shutting time for the leap second. ugly hack which is
critical services off As software continues somehow less
for every leap second to eat the world, the problematic, or
isn't always an headaches leap seconds giving up on a "one
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
size fits all" time recommend the article time scales like
scale. "The leap second: its Ephemeris Time (ET),
history and possible GPS Time (GPST) and
BUT WAIT, future", which you can Terrestrial Time
THERE'S MORE! easily find on the web (TT), and discover
(full citation below), that the SI system of
If you think this along with, as always, units defined the
story has been following Wikipedia second based on
needlessly fiddly and links wherever they something other than
complicated, rest take you. Along the Earth's rotation when
assured I have skipped way you can learn the it was established in
over a tonne of difference between 1960, seven years
details. If you're UT0, UT1 and UT2, meet before the caesium
actually interested to other exciting definition was
learn more, I highly astronomic and atomic adopted.
Why is a second as long as it is, and not a little shorter or a
little longer? This is a seemingly simple question which leads
down a deep and delightfully twisted rabbit hole. It's something
that I wish Neal Stephenson had written an epically long,
inexplicably compelling 1990s Wired article about, in the spirit of
his "Mother Earth, Mother Board" or "In the Kingdom of Mao Bell".
But he didn't, so you're stuck reading this, instead: a brief,
incomplete, possibly slightly inaccurate overview based on my own
characteristically obsessive reading on the topic over the past
week or so.
For most of the time that the concept of the second has been
around, its length has been defined implicitly by that of the day.
Everybody knows the answer to "why is a day as long as it is?" -
one day is the time it takes the Earth to complete a single
revolution about its axis. And since there are 60 seconds in a
minute, 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day, a second is
simply one 86,400th of the time it takes the Earth to rotate once.
Or, if you like, a second is the time it takes for the Earth to
rotate one 240th of a degree, out of the full 360. End of story,
right?
Well, no. This is a perfectly sensible way to define time - for
some applications, it's the best way to do it. This astronomically
defined time scale is still in use today in certain contexts. The
official name of its modern incarnation is Universal Time, or UT
(technically, there are a few subtly different variants, denoted
UT0, UT1 and UT2, but we'll gloss over that here). The official
determination of UT nowadays is based mostly on measurements made
at observatories tracking the movement of distant radio sources
across the sky as the Earth rotates. This is easier than making
precision measurements of the sun, but is still measuring the exact
same thing.
EARTH IS A NICE PLACE TO LIVE, BUT IT'S NOT THE BEST CLOCK
The problem with an astronomical definition of the second is this:
the Earth doesn't actually rotate at a perfectly constant rate (it
wasn't until the 19th century that we could build clocks accurate
enough to notice this). In fact, the Earth's rotation is slowing
down. Very slowly, of course. Every century, a complete rotation
takes about 2 milliseconds longer than it used to. The rate of
slowing down is not steady. Some years the change is more and
other years it's less. In fact, even though the overall trend is
one of slowing down, some years the rotation actually speeds up.
The dynamics of the process are complicated, and we can't make
accurate long term forecasts. Gravitational interaction between
the Earth and the moon is the primary driver, but the movement of
tectonic plates and friction between Earth's surface and its
atmosphere and oceans have their say, too. The Indian Ocean
Earthquake in 2004 was powerful enough to shorten the length of a
day by 2.68 microseconds. There are even periodic variations in
the rate of rotation that we just don't understand the cause of
yet. But the take home message is that, whatever the causes,
astronomical seconds actually have small, random fluctuations in
their duration over long time spans. If you define the second by
looking into the skies, no two seconds are exactly the same.
That's a pretty inconvenient property for the official definition
of a fundamentally important unit like the second to have. For
most of the time this definition was used, the fluctuations were
smaller than we could reliably measure. Certainly, they weren't
enough to have an impact on everyday life. Nobody was going to be
late to lunch because of the Earth's unsteady rotation. But by the
20th century, scientific and technological progress meant these
tiny fluctuations started to matter, as we began measuring natural
phenomena and building machines which operated on very small time
scales. A 10 megahertz radio oscillator, for example, has a period
of 0.0000001 seconds - only 100 nanoseconds! Gigahertz radiation,
which is important in radio astronomy and was used for
communications and radar during WWII decades before it came to
underpin modern technology like GPS, WiFi, and mobile data
networks, has periods measured in *picoseconds*. Even very, very
small variations in the length of a second are enough to make the
measured frequency of radio waves change, even if the *actual*
frequency is fixed. Modern technological society simply couldn't
be built using a wobbly clock like the Earth.
ATOMIC SECONDS
Fortunately, in the 1950s, atomic clocks were invented which kept
time better than any previous mechanism. I'll gloss right over the
details, but suffice it to say, we came up with a new way to define
the second which involved measuring the properties of caesium atoms
instead of looking at things moving through the sky. In 1967, the
relatively young International System (or SI, for the French
"Système International") of units redefined the second on this
basis. The new atomic second was defined such that it had the same
length as the astronomical second in use before it, as far as
measurements at the time could tell, but it had the added bonus
that the length of the second was then fixed and unchanging.
Caesium atoms at a given temperature "vibrate" (very loosely
speaking) at a frequency which, as far as we can tell, is
completely and perfectly stable, and which can be measured very
accurately in a sufficiently advanced laboratory.
With the arrival of atomic seconds, a new time scale was also
defined: International Atomic Time (or TAI, for the French "Temps
Atomique International"). At midnight on January 1st in 1958, TAI
and UT were perfectly synchronised. Ever since then, they have
slowly but surely drifted apart. The seconds of TAI are of
perfectly unchanging length (as measured by averaging hundreds of
atomic clocks all over the world), but the seconds of UT fluctuate
with the Earth's rotation. The accumulated drift up until now is a
little less than 40 seconds, but it will continue to grow, without
limit. And while the perfectly uniform seconds of TAI make it the
perfect tool for some tasks, this drift apart from UT makes it
problematic for others. If you go outside at noon UT in Greenwich,
England (or anywhere else at 0 degrees longitude), the sun will
*always* be high in the sky. This is true today and it will be
true in a thousand years, Because UT is fundamentally linked to the
Earth's rotation. TAI, on the other hand, is fundamentally
divorced from it. Thousands of years in the future, there will
come a day when, according to TAI, the sun rises in Greenwich at
midnight.
This isn't just an abstract concern for the distant future. In the
late '50s when TAI was defined, it was still common for ships at
sea to figure out where they were by using a sextant to record the
position of the sun above the horizon at a certain time and
consulting a printed table of conversions. For this purpose, ships
carried the most accurate clocks they could afford, and compared
them regularly against true UT time using time signals broadcast by
radio stations all over the world. Celestial navigation works very
well when using a timescale which is tightly linked to Earth's
rotation, and hence the position of things in the sky. But if the
radio time signals switched to broadcasting TAI instead of UT,
celestial navigation would become increasingly less accurate as TAI
drifted further out of synch with the Earth and the stars. This
meant that the "new and improved" TAI time scale wasn't actually an
improvement for everybody.
COORDINATING CHAOS
Instead of broadcasting two different time signals for different
purposes, which could easily lead to confusion, on January 1st in
1960 the powers that be (back then that was the International Time
Bureau, or BIH, for the French "Bureau International de l'Heure",
but today the torch has been passed to a combination of the
International Bureau of Weights and Measures, or BIPM, for the
French "Bureau International des Poids et Mesures" and the
International Earth Rotation Service, who have the gall to
abbreviate the *English* version of their name and go by IERS)
defined yet another time scale, in an attempt to achieve the best
of both worlds and make everybody happy. Enter Coordinated
Universal Time, or UTC - at last, something normal people have
heard of!
The abbreviation UTC is a strange compromise between the English
abbreviation CUT and the French abbreviation TUC (for "Temps
Universel Coordonné"). This is somewhat fitting, because UTC
itself is a strange compromise time scale between UT and TAI. Like
TAI, UTC is an atomic time scale. Every second of UTC is exactly
as long as any other, using the SI standard second based on caesium
atoms, allowing scientists and engineers around the world to
calibrate their instruments and reliably measure time intervals and
frequencies very precisely. But whereas TAI is destined to drift
ever further away from UT, to the chagrin of sailors and
astronomers, UTC is kept synchronised closely enough with UT that
it allows seafarers to perform celestial navigation with sufficient
accuracy for safe ocean passage. This synchronisation is achieved,
like all technical compromises, using ugly hacks. It cannot be any
other way, as UTC is a stubborn attempt to reconcile two desirable
but fundamentally incompatible properties of a timescale: perfectly
regular seconds, and synchronisation with a spinning globe whose
rate of rotation is unpredictably irregular.
The precise nature of the ugly hack underlying UTC has changed
somewhat since it was first defined, but for almost 50 years now,
starting in 1972, the ugly hack of choice has been the leap second.
The way it works is this. The difference between UTC and UT - a
quantity denoted DUT - is carefully monitored. Any time it looks
like that difference is on track to exceed 0.9 seconds, in either
direction, UTC is kicked back into alignment by either inserting or
removing a single second on one particular day. This makes UTC the
*only* time scale where the number of seconds in a day is not
absolutely fixed at 86,400 by definition. There almost always
*are* 86,400 seconds in a UTC day, but 86,401 and 86,399 are also
allowed when necessary to keep the time scale locked to the
movement of the sun across the sky.
So far, there have been 27 leap seconds defined, although UTC and
ATI are today exactly 37 seconds apart - the other 10 seconds come
from hacks applied before leap seconds were established in 1972.
All of them to date have been insertions rather than removals.
They don't happen on a regular, predictable basis, like leap years
(which are an adjustment for the fact that the time it takes the
Earth to orbit the sun once, defining a year, is not perfectly
divisible by the time it takes the Earth to rotate once, defining a
day). Because the Earth's rate of rotation fluctuates randomly,
sometimes slowing down and sometimes speeding up, astronomers need
to be actively on the lookout for excessive values of DUT. When
it's decided a leap second is needed - it's the IERS who makes that
call - they are announced at least six months in advance. They're
allowed to occur on either June 30th or December 31st, and are
inserted or deleted at midnight UTC (which is the middle of the day
in some time zones, of course) on those days. At the time of
writing, the last leap second happened on December 31st, 2016. In
principle, six months is enough advance warning that nobody doing
anything which depends on precise time synchronisation should be
caught by surprise when a leap second rolls around. In practice,
it's not always so simple.
INCREASING IMPLEMENTATION BURDEN AND AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE
Leap seconds have always had their critics, but at the time they
were adopted, their benefits arguably balanced their associated
hassle. 50 years later, this hack is starting to show its age.
The advent of cheap and reliable GPS technology means that
celestial navigation at sea is now rarely a matter of life or death
(although some sailors still appreciate the relative simplicity of
the technology it relies on), removing some of the argument for
making sure UTC stays in lock step with the Earth's rotation. At
the same time, the internet has come along: a massive network of
computers talking to each other, with the frequent need for
activity on one to be synchronised with activity on another (hence
tools like the Network Time Protocol, NTP). Computer programmers
*hate* leap seconds, for the same reason they hate Daylight Saving
Time: they complicate time calculations (you can't accurately
calculate the number of seconds between two UTC timestamps without
consulting a table of when previous leap seconds were inserted) and
are a frequent cause of confusion and errors, when one system
implements them differently from another its trying to interoperate
with.
Affordances for leap seconds are often added to software as an
afterthought - if they are added at all. Some systems represent
the extra second using the timestamp 23:59:60, but others instead
repeat the timestamp 23:59:59 twice (since some software will fail
to parse a timestamp ending in :60). Other systems "smear" the
leap second out over longer time periods, like 24 hours, to avoid
problems associated with sudden discontinuities. This just leads
to a whole day of small, slowly varying errors compared to
non-smearing systems. Some systems, of course, forget to do
anything at all. Because all the leap seconds to date have been
insertions rather than removals, it's a safe bet that there's
plenty of software out there which has worked correctly so far but
will fail the first time a second is removed. And the Earth's
rotation is going through a bit of a fast phase right now, so the
first negative leap second might be looming on the horizon.
The software interoperability situation at the time of a leap
second is bad enough that several major stock exchanges simply
agreed to voluntarily shut down for an hour around midnight UTC in
2016, rather than risk problems by continuing to trade during the
leap second. Given that a number of major web services, including
Amazon, Instagram, Netflix and Twitter, experienced outages around
this time, this was probably not a bad idea. Of course, simply
shutting time critical services off for every leap second isn't
always an option. It's one thing to shut down the New York Stock
Exchange for an hour, but Air Traffic Control has to stay up 24/7.
It's no surprise that increasingly many voices in the tech industry
are calling for leap seconds to be abolished. Plenty of people are
very unhappy with that idea, of course, not to mention there's no
consensus on what to do instead.
It's far from clear what the future holds for the leap second. As
software continues to eat the world, the headaches leap seconds
cause are only likely to get worse. The atomic definition of
second likely isn't going away any time soon, though, and that
means that getting rid of leap seconds entirely means abandoning
the millennia old notion that the way we represent time is
intimately linked with the natural cycle of night and day.
Assuming we're not willing to do that, there are only two
alternatives: coming up with a new ugly hack which is somehow less
problematic, or giving up on a "one size fits all" time scale.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
If you think this story has been needlessly fiddly and complicated,
rest assured I have skipped over a tonne of details. If you're
actually interested to learn more, I highly recommend the article
"The leap second: its history and possible future", which you can
easily find on the web (full citation below), along with, as
always, following Wikipedia links wherever they take you. Along
the way you can learn the difference between UT0, UT1 and UT2, meet
other exciting astronomic and atomic time scales like Ephemeris
Time (ET), GPS Time (GPST) and Terrestrial Time (TT), and discover
that the SI system of units defined the second based on something
other than Earth's rotation when it was established in 1960, seven
years before the caesium definition was adopted.
- - -[ REFERENCES ]- - -

35
zine/issue001/tfurrows_granular-ideologue.txt
View File

@ -9,21 +9,22 @@ Issue One May 2021
- - -[ Passing Thoughts of an Impractical Idealist ]- - -
Our ancestors stood on Permanence dammed the This is not the
the banks of the river, a logjam of manifesto to end all
Euphrates and cast ideas tossed in as if manifestos. It is a
their ideas into the each was a consummate message in a bottle
inexhaustible current. standard. Life-giving that few will find. It
First they cast in waters slowed, is a loose model for
words, ephemeral. Then intelligence waned, dealing with the
they learned the elastic mind mountainous dam of
permanence; epochs seized and crumbled. manifestos that stop
brought clay tablets The word manifesto the flow of
and papyrus, script dates to the creativity, passion,
and type, bits and fourteenth century, and progress. At the
clouds. but the notion dates risk of making the
to our earliest problem worse, I
written conclusions. proffer:
Our ancestors stood on the banks of the Euphrates and cast their
ideas into the inexhaustible current. First they cast in words,
ephemeral. Then they learned permanence; epochs brought clay
tablets and papyrus, script and type, bits and clouds.
Permanence dammed the river, a logjam of ideas tossed in as if each
was a consummate standard. Life-giving waters slowed, intelligence
waned, the elastic mind seized and crumbled. The word manifesto
dates to the fourteenth century, but the notion dates to our
earliest written conclusions.
This is not the manifesto to end all manifestos. It is a message in
a bottle that few will find. It is a loose model for dealing with
the mountainous dam of manifestos that stop the flow of creativity,
passion, and progress. At the risk of making the problem worse, I
proffer:
From a Message in a Bottle, Sitting Atop the Dam of Manifestos
..............................................................
@ -50,8 +51,8 @@ clouds. but the notion dates risk of making the
* Find, purify, share, repeat
* To conclude means to cease to grow
<tfurrows@circumlunar.space>
<tfurrows@sdf.org>
tfurrows@circumlunar.space
tfurrows@sdf.org
- - - ------------------------------------------------------- - - -

379
zine/issue001/wholesomedonut_why-i-still-game-proprietary.txt
View File

@ -7,195 +7,196 @@ Issue One May 2021
==================[ WHY I STILL GAME PROPRIETARY ]=================
by wholesomedonut
PROPRIETARY GAMING in the market. thou angereth me!" I
ISN'T ALL BAD hear in the imaginary
I agree with all of comments section
Since getting into the those observations. because this is
FOSS community, I see They tire me. They Gemini and you can't
a lot of pushback concern me. They do that. I am certain
towards the gaming frustrate me daily. you will find
industry as a whole. I peace through
can see why: DRM runs However! There are measured
rampant, terrible still reasons -not- to contemplation and
business practices go the route of some I a cup of whatever
regularly conflagrate see in the FOSS world warm or cold
internet forums, and eschew gaming liquid you enjoy.
anti-cheat programs altogether on anything
are basically but a FOSS platform, WHY DO I USE STEAM?
consensual (and with FOSS games,
mandatory for official because.... FOSS. That Well.... everyone
online play in some argument is just as else that isn't a
cases) trojans, and to dumb in practice, computer nerd
make it all worse it because it's an usually does too.
costs a mint to get artificial limitation And the overhead
into the hobby that stands on for getting
nowadays due to somewhat subjective, people of minimum
scalpers and crypto opinionated reasoning. technical under-
miners running rampant "But wholesomedonut, standing (that like
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
playing video games) PS/Xbox or some-other download, to playing
into FOSS gaming thing, there is a the game with their
generally is much more solid 90% chance I'm friends needs to be
costly in terms of going to lose that understandable,
mental and social argument unless they unobtrusive and
capacity than the are very specifically transparent. That is,
clout I usually have interested in that if the overall
with my friends or particular kind of userbase is to
family on such game, its' content, grow and sustain
matters. or have a better itself on a
socially-driven higher magnitude
King's English: If I reason. This comes than current.
have to instruct them from years of trying
to download the latest and f'nagling with GIVE PEOPLE THE
version of the game people from many BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT
directly from Github walks of life; the UI
in the Releases tab, and UX of FOSS gaming People are
or from some random needs to be on-par intelligent,
website they've never with modern generally. They're
heard of (even if it commercial offerings; very skilled in a
looks nice and is this means all the multitude of things
HTTPS secure) instead way from landing on a that aren't
of just adding it on page, to funneling computers. But asking
Steam or Epic or through a sales someone who -isn't-
Microsoft Store or conversion or free tech savvy to figure
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
out how to pull down mentality commercial combined-arms
the right version of systems have strategy on a hex
a FOSS game from a fostered. board that involves
code repo (or heaven groups of multi-ton
forbid build it ENTER THE MECH MAN robots, tanks,
themselves with cmake airplanes and
or whatever) is like A good example of a infantry taking and
asking ME to diagnose FOSS game that has giving damage to
a car's problems plenty of good and individual
using nothing but a bad would be MegaMek. components, weapons
flashlight and a It's basically a and armor locations
screwdriver. I have fully computerized in a somewhat
no idea what the hell version of the realistic and highly
I'm doing anyway in Classic Battletech detailed simulation
that department. rules, which is a of 31st-century
Without the proper board game that's warfare.
tools and education existed since the
too? I'm screwed. 1980s and is going on To alleviate the
Therefore I urge 40 years of issue of significant
empathy and patience conniving, calculational
in introducing others number-crunching overhead for
to FOSS gaming. It's tomfoolery that only every-single-action-
a bit more finicky a particular subset attack-or-damage-
than the of people even enjoy. roll-ever, this
plug-and-play All in the name of program does all
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of the math, the game in their in that regard. A
calculations, and head: they're game of Classic
rules proofing for obviously not the Battletech that could
you. So you can enjoy target of this easily take 5 or 6
the game with others, article. hours in person
wherever they may be, without any sort of
instead of reaching I shiver at the calculator apps or an
for your G.A.T.O.R. thought of doing all otherwise breakneck
card for the that stuff manually pace of gameplay and
tenth time to if I don't have to. rules-lawyering will
show the newbie That kind of only take an hour or
of the group what tedium takes away two maximum with
happens when an from the Megamek. It's a
SRM-6 missile moment-by-moment godsend for a hobby
spread hits a gameplay, forcing that would otherwise
light vehicle everybody to get be relegated to local
whose armor is ox-in-the-mired play over
already exposed over details that predetermined days,
on its' left don't matter not a "Hey want to
flank. There are overall instead play a match? Sure!"
plenty of of letting their kind of casual pickup
grognards out big stompy robots on a boring
there who know blow each other up. afternoon.
these rules well
and can do half Megamek works wonders
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BUT IT ISN'T ALL progresses smoothly. that the much easier
SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS But it's still just and more recent Alpha
as much a spaghetti Strike ruleset isn't
Nope! Megamek is, in plate in terms of included at all by
my humble and user experience: default, to my
donut-shaped opinion, configuration options knowledge. You might
a terrible example of laid out in long be able to configure
UI and UX. I played a lists of check boxes something like that
round recently, and organized by multiple using plugins, but
another aficionado of top-window tabs; a we're already putting
the series played decidedly the cart before the
against me. Quoth my 15-years-old design horse at that point.
opponent: "This language that clashes
program looks like with modern TO BE FAIR
something out of perceptions of UI and
Windows 95." Neither UX (which is bad The project started
of us had played the considering that in 2000. It's 21
most recent version taking in new blood years old in some
of the game. I hadn't is crucial for both places, if only in
touched it in a year userbase and logic and not literal
at least. developer syntax. It's written
contribution in Java. And it's
Some changes were reasons); and the been a community
welcome, and the final nail in the effort by dozens of
development coffin is the fact talented people over
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the decades. The fact that does a better a relic of an earlier
that it's alive at job, in proportion to time of online
all is impressive, the complexity of the gaming, where dial-up
but so's the fact physical source connections were
that the franchise material and gameplay still common. That's
whose boardgame it flow. a given. And it is
emulates even has a what it is. I won't
fanbase still. BT So considering it was waste time bemoaning
fans aren't quitters, made in the waning those facts that are
certainly. And this days of Win98 immutable in this
is all considering (because Windows ME context. I'm only
the fact that trying doesn't exist and you stating them to set
to automate, can't convince me the stage.
obfuscate and otherwise) it's
de-FUBAR the mountain expected that it's I'M LEFT AT AN
of minutiae that ugly as most things INTERESTING IMPASSE
Battletech's rulesets were back then. It
and technical data was written in Java There is no other way
(on a per unit and (yea verily, begone I could ever play
per variant basis no foul JVM!), which for Battletech with
less) is a monumental all its' foibles friends from all over
task. I can hardly makes a very easy the world in such a
think of a video-game cross-platform great degree of
adaptation of a more distributable fidelity. Megamek
complex board game program. It's solidly serves its' purpose
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very well for what it So, I leave it to you make my hobby free
is: a highly detailed to put the pieces and open if there
computerization of a together here. I can isn't a platform for
niche franchise that choose to play with those newcomers to
has a fanbase average people that even stand on and
spanning generations. A) aren't technically explore once (or if
However, it also inclined, B) don't ever) they choose to
stands out to me as have a heart that get involved in FOSS
one of the prime beats for gaming of their own
examples of a FOSS free-as-in-freedom, volition.
project being and C) want something
understandably opaque that "just works," or AT THE END OF THE DAY
to newcomers. It's confine myself to a
hard to use at first, much smaller content I encourage people
hard to look at base with an even who play video games
always, and sometimes smaller playerbase to which are also
hard to find other share it with. interested in free
people to play it and open source
with. Those three Call me the gaming software to consider
things will nail the nerd Whore of the prospect of
coffin of any Babylon, but I don't inviting others into
fledgling game shut. see the point in this world of
That concept is true beating my head free-as-in-freedom/
regardless of genre, against the wall beer/whatever
art style, or UI/UX. overtly trying to with a grain of salt.
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Until we make it not be seen. And growth in production
easier to onboard new therefore we will not quality, variety, and
people from all walks see the requisite competitiveness in
of life, significant uptick in talent, the market space of
adoption of FOSS contribution and people's free time.
systems or the games playerbase that will
that run on them will consequently drive a
PROPRIETARY GAMING ISN'T ALL BAD
Since getting into the FOSS community, I see a lot of pushback
towards the gaming industry as a whole. I can see why: DRM runs
rampant, terrible business practices regularly conflagrate internet
forums, anti-cheat programs are basically consensual (and mandatory
for official online play in some cases) trojans, and to make it all
worse it costs a mint to get into the hobby nowadays due to
scalpers and crypto miners running rampant in the market.
I agree with all of those observations. They tire me. They concern
me. They frustrate me daily.
However! There are still reasons -not- to go the route of some I
see in the FOSS world and eschew gaming altogether on anything but
a FOSS platform, with FOSS games, because.... FOSS. That argument
is just as dumb in practice, because it's an artificial limitation
that stands on somewhat subjective, opinionated reasoning. "But
wholesomedonut, thou angereth me!" I hear in the imaginary comments
section because this is Gemini and you can't do that. I am certain
you will find peace through measured contemplation and a cup of
whatever warm or cold liquid you enjoy.
WHY DO I USE STEAM?
Well.... everyone else that isn't a computer nerd usually does too.
And the overhead for getting people of minimum technical
understanding (that like playing video games) into FOSS gaming
generally is much more costly in terms of mental and social
capacity than the clout I usually have with my friends or family on
such matters.
King's English: If I have to instruct them to download the latest
version of the game directly from Github in the Releases tab, or
from some random website they've never heard of (even if it looks
nice and is HTTPS secure) instead of just adding it on Steam or
Epic or Microsoft Store or PS/Xbox or some-other thing, there is a
solid 90% chance I'm going to lose that argument unless they are
very specifically interested in that particular kind of game, its'
content, or have a better socially-driven reason. This comes from
years of trying and f'nagling with people from many walks of life;
the UI and UX of FOSS gaming needs to be on-par with modern
commercial offerings; this means all the way from landing on a
page, to funneling through a sales conversion or free download, to
playing the game with their friends needs to be understandable,
unobtrusive and transparent. That is, if the overall userbase is to
grow and sustain itself on a higher magnitude than current.
GIVE PEOPLE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT
People are intelligent, generally. They're very skilled in a
multitude of things that aren't computers. But asking someone who
-isn't- tech savvy to figure out how to pull down the right version
of a FOSS game from a code repo (or heaven forbid build it
themselves with cmake or whatever) is like asking ME to diagnose a
car's problems using nothing but a flashlight and a screwdriver. I
have no idea what the hell I'm doing anyway in that department.
Without the proper tools and education too? I'm screwed. Therefore
I urge empathy and patience in introducing others to FOSS gaming.
It's a bit more finicky than the plug-and-play mentality commercial
systems have fostered.
ENTER THE MECH MAN
A good example of a FOSS game that has plenty of good and bad would
be MegaMek. It's basically a fully computerized version of the
Classic Battletech rules, which is a board game that's existed
since the 1980s and is going on 40 years of conniving,
number-crunching tomfoolery that only a particular subset of people
even enjoy. All in the name of combined-arms strategy on a hex
board that involves groups of multi-ton robots, tanks, airplanes
and infantry taking and giving damage to individual components,
weapons and armor locations in a somewhat realistic and highly
detailed simulation of 31st-century warfare.
To alleviate the issue of significant calculational overhead for
every-single-action-attack-or-damage-roll-ever, this program does
all of the math, calculations, and rules proofing for you. So you
can enjoy the game with others, wherever they may be, instead of
reaching for your G.A.T.O.R. card for the tenth time to show the
newbie of the group what happens when an SRM-6 missile spread hits
a light vehicle whose armor is already exposed on its' left flank.
There are plenty of grognards out there who know these rules well
and can do half the game in their head: they're obviously not the
target of this article.
I shiver at the thought of doing all that stuff manually if I don't
have to. That kind of tedium takes away from the moment-by-moment
gameplay, forcing everybody to get ox-in-the-mired over details
that don't matter overall instead of letting their big stompy
robots blow each other up.
Megamek works wonders in that regard. A game of Classic Battletech
that could easily take 5 or 6 hours in person without any sort of
calculator apps or an otherwise breakneck pace of gameplay and
rules-lawyering will only take an hour or two maximum with Megamek.
It's a godsend for a hobby that would otherwise be relegated to
local play over predetermined days, not a "Hey want to play a
match? Sure!" kind of casual pickup on a boring afternoon.
BUT IT ISN'T ALL SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS
Nope! Megamek is, in my humble and donut-shaped opinion, a terrible
example of UI and UX. I played a round recently, and another
aficionado of the series played against me. Quoth my opponent:
"This program looks like something out of Windows 95." Neither of
us had played the most recent version of the game. I hadn't touched
it in a year at least.
Some changes were welcome, and the development progresses smoothly.
But it's still just as much a spaghetti plate in terms of user
experience: configuration options laid out in long lists of check
boxes organized by multiple top-window tabs; a decidedly
15-years-old design language that clashes with modern perceptions
of UI and UX (which is bad considering that taking in new blood is
crucial for both userbase and developer contribution reasons); and
the final nail in the coffin is the fact that the much easier and
more recent Alpha Strike ruleset isn't included at all by default,
to my knowledge. You might be able to configure something like that
using plugins, but we're already putting the cart before the horse
at that point.
TO BE FAIR
The project started in 2000. It's 21 years old in some places, if
only in logic and not literal syntax. It's written in Java. And
it's been a community effort by dozens of talented people over the
decades. The fact that it's alive at all is impressive, but so's
the fact that the franchise whose boardgame it emulates even has a
fanbase still. BT fans aren't quitters, certainly. And this is all
considering the fact that trying to automate, obfuscate and
de-FUBAR the mountain of minutiae that Battletech's rulesets and
technical data (on a per unit and per variant basis no less) is a
monumental task. I can hardly think of a video-game adaptation of a
more complex board game that does a better job, in proportion to
the complexity of the physical source material and gameplay flow.
So considering it was made in the waning days of Win98 (because
Windows ME doesn't exist and you can't convince me otherwise) it's
expected that it's ugly as most things were back then. It was
written in Java (yea verily, begone foul JVM!), which for all its'
foibles makes a very easy cross-platform distributable program.
It's solidly a relic of an earlier time of online gaming, where
dial-up connections were still common. That's a given. And it is
what it is. I won't waste time bemoaning those facts that are
immutable in this context. I'm only stating them to set the stage.
## I'm left at an interesting impasse. There is no other way I
could ever play Battletech with friends from all over the world in
such a great degree of fidelity. Megamek serves its' purpose very
well for what it is: a highly detailed computerization of a niche
franchise that has a fanbase spanning generations. However, it also
stands out to me as one of the prime examples of a FOSS project
being understandably opaque to newcomers. It's hard to use at
first, hard to look at always, and sometimes hard to find other
people to play it with. Those three things will nail the coffin of
any fledgling game shut. That concept is true regardless of genre,
art style, or UI/UX.
So, I leave it to you to put the pieces together here. I can choose
to play with average people that A) aren't technically inclined, B)
don't have a heart that beats for free-as-in-freedom, and C) want
something that "just works," or confine myself to a much smaller
content base with an even smaller playerbase to share it with.
Call me the gaming nerd Whore of Babylon, but I don't see the point
in beating my head against the wall overtly trying to make my hobby
free and open if there isn't a platform for those newcomers to even
stand on and explore once (or if ever) they choose to get involved
in FOSS gaming of their own volition.
AT THE END OF THE DAY,
I encourage people who play video games which are also interested
in free and open source software to consider the prospect of
inviting others into this world of free-as-in-freedom/beer/whatever
with a grain of salt. Until we make it easier to onboard new people
from all walks of life, significant adoption of FOSS systems or the
games that run on them will not be seen. And therefore we will not
see the requisite uptick in talent, contribution and playerbase
that will consequently drive a growth in production quality,
variety, and competitiveness in the market space of people's free
time.
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