Author Topic: Blaine's Latest Blog (Read 204584 times)

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #960 on:** 14 February 2017, 20:19:53 »

Ever get reorged? Here's some tips!

https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/coping-with-a-reorganization-a-quick-guide/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

Daryk · « **Reply #961 on:** 14 February 2017, 21:40:12 »

I've been trying to get myself re-org'd for a year and a half now... With no success...

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #962 on:** 16 February 2017, 21:26:37 »

Review of Beware the Slenderman

https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/02/17/review-hbo-documentary-beware-the-slenderman/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #963 on:** 25 February 2017, 09:42:23 »

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates Review

https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/02/25/review-of-thomas-jefferson-and-the-tripoli-pirates-by-brian-kilmeade-and-don-yeager/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

skiltao · « **Reply #964 on:** 25 February 2017, 16:36:01 »

Wordpress wouldn't let my comment go through at your blog, so posting here instead.

Quote from: Worthless Lessons I've Learned From Star Trek

I wanted to do a blog post at one time about the practical lessons you learn from watching Star Trek. In other words, by watching Star Trek, what life lessons do you gain – mostly from a cynical perspective.
<snip>
I know the true-believers out there will tear me apart for this…I get it. Star Trek is sacred to most of us. But everyone should question their faith – in a TV series – every now and then.

Can’t dispute how well the Ferengi were developed, or how unrealistic the explosive bridges are; I could argue the other points, but I suspect it’d be a bit dull for both of us. So instead I’ll see your cynicism and raise you a dystopia: Federation humans are indoctrinated to be disposable. ^-^

Like you said, past shows haven’t shown much variety in Federation life–it would be nice if Star Trek: Discovery were to step outside Starfleet a little more often. Although, heh, many of your points make it sound like you’d prefer a TV series centered on Klingon servitor species.

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #965 on:** 04 March 2017, 15:30:03 »

My review of Falling Stars - the RPG.

Short version - it made my eyes bleed.

https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/03/04/review-of-falling-stars-rpg-and-tactical-game-system-by-lock-n-load-publishing/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

Daryk · « **Reply #966 on:** 04 March 2017, 15:53:47 »

Warning heeded, yikes!

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire · « **Reply #967 on:** 04 March 2017, 16:42:08 »

This is why it's important to playtest an RPG and why its important that the playtesters shouldn't be the same people who wrote it.

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #968 on:** 04 March 2017, 19:14:53 »

Agreed. These playtesters deserve to be held at GITMO on war (game) crimes.

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #969 on:** 14 March 2017, 18:43:19 »

My review of another true crime book... https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/review-of-a-taste-for-murder-by-burl-barer/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #970 on:** 19 March 2017, 17:47:16 »

Part 9 of our current D&D campaign.

https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/03/19/to-the-gellesian-fields-part-9/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

Daemion · « **Reply #971 on:** 21 March 2017, 10:23:24 »

Here's my ping for enjoyment of the novelized campaign.

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #972 on:** 22 March 2017, 19:23:23 »

Another year in meeting hell.

https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/the-cynics-guide-to-making-your-meetings-effective/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

MoparMessiah · « **Reply #973 on:** 26 March 2017, 04:18:20 »

I'm going to interject my own review right here.

Betrayal Of Ideas by BLP which is almost as good as a BLT :))

This has to be the best CBT novel I have read in the past 10 years, if not 20. I put it in the top 5 of all of them and yes I do have all of them.

Absolutely loved the story, character development, presentation and space of the book. Very hard book to put down. So my hat is off to you Mr. Pardoe and hope you will be writing many more. I'll be buying every one.

Wolverines!

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire · « **Reply #974 on:** 26 March 2017, 11:17:55 »

It was good, but I'd have liked it if the Wolverines had been a little more nuanced as a faction. I'd have liked it if they'd been more willing to play dirty and hadn't always held the moral highground all the time in everything.

Also, for a story about the Wolverines, there was a very distinct lack of Wolverines or Wolverine IIs. And that was just horrible.

Takiro · « **Reply #975 on:** 26 March 2017, 12:56:56 »

Just glad to see it out in paperback finally!

Frabby · « **Reply #976 on:** 26 March 2017, 13:52:49 »

Quote from: MoneyLovinOgre4Hire on 26 March 2017, 11:17:55

It was good, but I'd have liked it if the Wolverines had been a little more nuanced as a faction. I'd have liked it if they'd been more willing to play dirty and hadn't always held the moral highground all the time in everything.

You should really bring this up with Technician (Logistician) Karl, if you can find him.

Also, these are the Clans. Nicholas' 600 have seen and done it all during the Exodus, the Exodus Civil War, and Klondike. Any morale high ground that may have existed was turned into a glassy glow-in-the-dark parking lot long ago.

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire · « **Reply #977 on:** 26 March 2017, 14:06:10 »

Yes, and that meant that the book at times felt more like I was reading an in-universe account that was written by someone who was heavily romanticizing about the Wolvies. They developed all the innovations, they built all the new mechs, they had the best treatment of their civilians, they were the ones who were committed to actually holding up the ideals of the Star League...

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #978 on:** 30 March 2017, 20:07:30 »

A little humor for your work week end...work horoscopes for April.

https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/03/31/humorous-work-horoscope-for-april-2017/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

I am Belch II · « **Reply #979 on:** 30 March 2017, 20:20:47 »

Always good stuff.

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #980 on:** 31 March 2017, 19:24:23 »

This is a little different -- some April Fool's Day humor BattleTech style. My "tribute" to BattleTech Fan Fiction. Feel free to share.

https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/04/01/battletech-april-fools-day-operation-total-freakin-awesomeness/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

MoparMessiah · « **Reply #981 on:** 01 April 2017, 11:17:27 »

That's for the wonderful fan fic - was a great way to start my day

Daemion · « **Reply #982 on:** 03 April 2017, 18:15:28 »

Hey, Buck! Read my fanfic! Please? O:-)

^-^

Fun stuff, though.

edit:
And, like typical fanfic, there were paragraphs where the eyes scanned, but the mind started to wander elsewhere. But, that happens with official published fiction, at times, too.

What gets to me are the stories which are nothing more than a script dialogue with no visual cues.

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire · « **Reply #983 on:** 03 April 2017, 19:00:44 »

Quote from: Daemion on 03 April 2017, 18:15:28

What gets to me are the stories which are nothing more than a script dialogue with no visual cues.

Especially ones where the author feels the need to have characters verbally describe each other while they're talking.

Daryk · « **Reply #984 on:** 03 April 2017, 19:04:01 »

Clearly, you haven't seen the latest Geico ad about "walking the walk"... :D

Daemion · « **Reply #985 on:** 04 April 2017, 15:51:09 »

Quote from: MoneyLovinOgre4Hire on 03 April 2017, 19:00:44

Especially ones where the author feels the need to have characters verbally describe each other while they're talking.

I have not encountered this. Is there an example on these forums? This sounds kinda amusing. Once.

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire · « **Reply #986 on:** 04 April 2017, 16:12:33 »

I'm not aware of anything like that on these forums (though I haven't checked the fiction section), but one example of something similar is Silver Age comic books, where it was common for characters to describe things that were happening on-panel. Like Superman smashes Lex Luthor's robot and in the next panel, Luthor shouts "you've destroyed my robot!"

bpardoe870 · « **Reply #987 on:** 05 April 2017, 18:29:10 »

The anniversary of the US entry into WWI

https://blainepardoe.wordpress.com/2017/04/05/centennial-of-us-entry-into-wwi/

Blaine "Buck" Pardoe

Takiro · « **Reply #988 on:** 06 April 2017, 16:24:24 »

A sadly forgotten tragedy.

Daemion · « **Reply #989 on:** 06 April 2017, 17:04:16 »

Quote from: MoneyLovinOgre4Hire on 04 April 2017, 16:12:33

I'm not aware of anything like that on these forums (though I haven't checked the fiction section), but one example of something similar is Silver Age comic books, where it was common for characters to describe things that were happening on-panel. Like Superman smashes Lex Luthor's robot and in the next panel, Luthor shouts "you've destroyed my robot!"

I do remember that. Ugh. Some good storylines ruined by author commentary.