Wednesday 3 April 2013

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Black and white wallpapers Biography

aisa0 68 weeks ago He is now working on a role-playing game focused on bioregional animism. In September of last year, I wrote an entry on solo adventure games. Since that time, I've been playing several solo-adventure games, largely in three categories: single-page pick-up games, gamebooks, and a game I'm playing using the Mythic Game Master Emulator.


When I initially began playing solo games, I thought I would spend most of the time playing gamebooks. It turns out that the majority of my time has been spent playing Mythic. Briefly, I do the following:
I keep two books, my gamebook and my log book. The gamebook includes permanent information about people, places, and things of interest. It is a reference guide for the part of the world and story that is already baked. The log book is a chronology of the story as it is unfolding, as well as meta-level discussion about what each person knows when I needed to do processing to figure out what happens next. In theory, I could get a different log for each game and keep the gamebook as long as I found the world interesting.Play the game a scene at a time, answering any questions that come up by using Mythic. In practice, I want the gamebook to contain slower moving and more frequently referenced material while the logbook is faster moving but less permanently relevant. As well, sometimes I feel like world building and sometimes I feel like story telling. Somes scenes go really fast, some take me weeks or a month to figure out.I've been surprised how rapidly the world has converged into a reasonably coherent place. Each small decision informs the later ones I make, and since the world, on some level, has to make sense, unintended consequences from previous decisions contribute enormously to the shape of play.

I've tried, in playing, to steer the characters in a specific direction, only to find that the process of getting them there makes the original goal unattainable. In short, I haven't been able to anticipate the story I'm telling, there is a legitimate element of surprise.

I have learned, in playing, that I'm not very fast at moving through plot twists. I can only handle so much surprise before I have to put the books down and take a break. I'm not sure if this is a skill I should improve on, or whether it is more a signpost on the road to greater perspective. I do occasionally feel stuck in the story, and one of the things Mythic has given me is a methodology for resolving an impasse.

I've mentioned here in the past how wonderful role playing games are for practicing most of the skills a well-rounded human being should posses. In playing solo games, I've also been slowly introducing myself to a world of role playing games that didn't exist when I first started this hobby.

I played D&D for many years, and the stories we crafted and the adventures we had form a significant part of the mythic narratives I brought with me from boyhood. But as a game, it really only appeals to a small fraction of the people I'd like to storyjam with--the intended audience is too narrow. The world, by design, is very black & white. Good guys are good, and they know it, Bad guys are bad and they know it. These days I demand a bit more relevance from my games. Ironically, given the fear inked about D&D over it's history, role-playing games are far, far more real to me than they were growing up. I expect to walk away from a session having learned something.

I've been particularly anxious for Jason Godesky to publish a new version of The Fifth World. I started reading Jason on The Anthropik Network, where his 30 theses distilled human history into a story I found topical and useful to incorporate into my own story. He is now working on a role-playing game focused on bioregional animism. Taking a map of where you live and creating characters whose story is the story of the land and the relationships within it. Inspiring stuff for exploring the mental changes that accompany participation in the environmental movement.

Reading about the process of creating The Fifth World, I've been introduced to the broad category of story games. Story games are the DIY/open source/free culture/anarchist/collaborative portion of role-playing games. These are games without game masters, as conflict resolution is built into the rules and distributed equitably to all players. You aren't given an adventure to play through, but rather a method for co-creating your own narratives. It is a way to discover your own stories, rather than consuming someone else's. A way to eliminate consumer culture as a mode of thinking, which is a prerequisite to eliminating it as a mode of being.

I've really begun to want to play story games with other people, and have generally been looking for pick-up style games that have simple rules. The kind of thing I could have ready to hand should the opportunity present itself. Playing story games alone, I feel compelled to write things down. That is helpful to me after the process, but it interrupts the flow while I'm playing. I haven't yet tried playing a game without writing, but it seems like it would be more fun when there are multiple people to hold the story. I think it would be easier to see in the air in front of you, having someone to bounce it off of.
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Books wallpapers Biography

Books! We're happy to announce two brand new releases hot off the
presses—and a preorder special!
Our first release for May is Ecstasia: An Introduction to
Transcendental Music and Dance by Julia R. Zay. While most
pagans think of trance dancing as either freestyle fire dancing, or
belly dancing, Ecstasia is an entirely original troupe-based magical
dance system based on traditional Mediterranean music and dance.

Julia has been practicing
Mediterranean dance for years, and has developed Ecstasia based on her
experiences. In this text you'll find the foundations of this
troupe-based form; explanations of the various roles both on and off
the rug; solid research and thorough lists of further resources;
organizational and safety considerations for the different types of
Ecstasia rituals; and much more!

This is the first volume of a forthcoming set that will provide
everything you need as a dancer, musician, organizer or other
participant in these rituals, with both practical and esoteric
considerations explained. This first volume provides the basis upon
which later volumes will be built; however, even as a standalone book
it offers much, whether you're a dancer, musician, ritual creator, or
just interested in Mediterranean traditional and derivative magical and
We're also pleased to release a brand-new nonfiction book from
well-known author (and owner of Immanion/Megalithica), Storm
Constantine! While often known for her Wraeththu, Grigori, and other
sci-fi/fantasy novels, Storm has also been a magician for several
decades, and has worked with varying systems such as Chaos magic and
Reiki. This latter is brought into a blend with Seichim, a similar
healing system inspired by Egyptian magical practices to create
Sekhem Heka: A Natural Healing and Self-Development
System.

Drawing upon her experiences in
Egyptian Magic and the energy healing systems of Reiki and Seichim,
Storm Constantine has developed this new system to appeal to
practitioners of both magic and energy healing. Incorporating ritual
and visualisation into a progressive journey through the seven energy
centres of the body, Sekhem Heka can be practiced by those who are
already attuned to an energy healing modality, as well as those who
are simply interested in the magical aspects of the system. Sekhem
Heka is designed to help the practitioner work upon self-evolution and
self-knowledge. Each of the seven tiers focuses upon a particular
Ancient Egyptian god or goddess, including practical exercisesast (but certainly not least—we love all the books we publish!), we
are proud to announce a special preorder deal! No doubt a decent
number of folks reading this are familiar with the works of Gerald del
Campo, magician and musician extraordinaire. In June we'll be
releasing a special three-books-in-one volume of Gerald's work—new
editions of his popular New Aeon Magick: Thelema Without Tears
and New Aeon English Qabala Revealed, and a brand new text,
The Ethics of Thelema. Starting now, you can preorder this
volume, The Heretic's Guide to Thelema.

More info, including how you can get a free CD with your
order, under cut However, that's not all. As mentioned, Gerald is
quite the talented musician, and has been part of various bands for
longer than he cares to mention. One of his current groups (yes, just
one—he's a busy guy!), Trick
Sensei, have teamed up with him to release a special promotional
CD just for folks who preorder The Heretic's Guide to Thelema!
Limited to a run of fifty copies, the CDs will be available—-for
free--only with the first fifty copies of the book sold. Preorder
today to take advantage of this special offer! CDs will be shipped
with books upon the June publication of the latter. ww.thegreenwolf.com/heretic.html Click here to preorder
your copy today!

Thanks for your consideration, and feel free to contact us with any
questions or comments!

Lupa (whishthound (at) gmail.com) – U.S. orders
Storm Constantine (editorial (at) immanion-press.com)—U.K./international orders

You may pass this post on, link to it, etc. to your heart's
content--give it to anyone you think may be interested in any of our
books!
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Black And Pink Damask Wallpaper

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Black And Pink Damask Wallpaper Biography

The Pink  At The Gates Of Dawn, it's difficult for those unfamiliar with Pink Floyd's music or the burgeoning British music scene of the 60's to attribute great importance to Syd Barrett. All it takes to be convinced of Barrett's significance, however, is a careful listen to Piper, A Saucerful Of Secrets (the second LP), and the singles he wrote for the group (on Relics and Masters Of Rock, a Dutch collection). What Syd created in sound and imagery was brand new: at that time America hadn't even heard of Hendrixian feedback and distortion as part of a guitar's capabilities, and the Beatles were just recording Sergeant Pepper (at the same time and in the same studios) as Pink Floyd were cutting Piper. Barrett's music was as experimental as you could get without crossing over entirely into freeform jazz; there simply were no other bands extending the boundaries of rock beyond the basic 4/4 sex-and-love themes.

Syd certainly listened to American jazz, blues, jug band music and rock, as did most young British rock 'n' rollers of the time. He used to cite Bo Diddley as his major influence, yet these inputs are no more than alluded to in his music, which contains every style of guitar playing imaginable: funky rhythm churns up speeding riffs that distort into jazzy improvisation. At times an Eastern influence surfaces, blending vocal chants, jangling guitar and devotional hum in tunes like "Matilda Mother" and the lovely "Chapter 24," based on the I Ching.

Barrett's guitar work maintained a psychedelic, dramatic ambience of incongruous contrasts, violent changes and inspired psychosis. No technician a la Eric Clapton, Barrett simply knew his own particular instrument well and pushed it to its limits. Compared by critics to Jeff Beck, Lou Reed (in his early Velvet Underground days) and Jimi Hendrix, Barrett lacked only the consistency to match their achievements.

His trademark (and Achilles heel) was sudden surprise: trance-like riffs would slide abruptly into intense, slightly offbeat strumming ("Astronomy Domine"), choppy urgency gives way to powerful, frightening peaks ("Interstellar Overdrive"), harmless lyrics skitter over a fierce undertow of evil-sounding feedback and menacing wah-wah ("Lucifer Sam"). Stylized extremes made Barrett's guitar the focus of Floyd's early music; his instrumental mannerisms dominated each song even when Syd merely played chords. Barrett's rhythms were usually unpredictable; one never knew what process in Syd's brain dictated when to speed up or slow down the pace, when to sweeten or sour the sound, and when to wrench the tempo totally out of joint, shifting gears to turn rhythms inside-out. As a result, Barrett's playing was variously described by critics as "clumsy and anarchic," "adventurous and distinctive," "idiosyncratic,"
"revolutionary" or "brilliant and painful."

Indisputably Barrett was an innovator. Whether he was entirely conscious or in control of his art is impossible to determine; perhaps it's enough to say that he was indeed effective. His work with Pink Floyd still ranks as some of the most expressive, sensational playing recorded by a rock guitarist. Even 10 years later Barrett's solos stand as fixed entities in the overall scope of Pink Floyd's music; it's a rare long-term Floyd fan who doesn't know every note, each frenzy of feedback and electronic eccentricity. Yet Syd borrowed no familiar blue licks as the young Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were wont to do.

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Brewster wallpaper

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Brewster wallpaper Biography
That challenge is diminishing over time, thanks to a proven track record and mounting success stories. A customer base of about 100 grid operators and utilities that spans three countries (the United States, Canada and England) doesn’t hurt either, especially when it includes such heavy-hitters as ISO New England, New York ISO and PJM Interconnection, as well as Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Salt River Project and Southern California Edison Company.

Last year EnerNOC signed its biggest industry contract ever with the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“Most people look at TVA as a pretty risk-averse, low-cost electricity territory, so I think it raised a lot of eyebrows when the industry saw TVA sign a 560-megawatt contract with EnerNOC to deploy demand response,” said Brewster.

If signing up utilities can be challenging, finding end-user sites is a “no-brainer.” The reason is simple: the utilities pay EnerNOC to be a resource and to reduce demand, and EnerNOC shares those payments with its endusers.

When signing up those endusers, EnerNOC looks for industrial, commercial and institutional heavyweights who typically draw a lot of energy. Simulating a power plant and building capacity require a lot of negawatts. And so size is the common denominator among its diverse list of customers who include well-known brands (AT&T, General Electric, Pfizer, Albertson’s, Shop Rite, Stop & Shop), hospitals (Stamford Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, UMass Memorial Health Care), universities (University of San Diego), and governments (Maine, Vermont, Boston, Connecticut), among many others. Take Connecticut’s heft, for example. The state’s 700 megawatts of demand response capacity within a 7,000-megawatt system peak mean that within minutes of notice, about 10 percent of the system’s demand can be made to disappear.

Paying end-users to be smarter about electricity use while helping them save on energy costs is a big selling point for EnerNOC, Brewster says, but the benefits do not stop there.

Unlocking a Powerful Data Stream
EnerNOC’s home page keeps a running tally of the dollars it has helped its customers save. At the time this magazine went to print, those savings altogether had reached $320 million and counting. Demand response is responsible for a big chunk of those savings, and what allows for the rest is the technology behind demand response.

That technology, the EnerNOC Site Server, is housed in an unassuming cabinet at the customer’s site that easily blends into boxes typical of an electric room. But the information it holds is anything but typical of what’s available to the average American corporation.

The box is the gateway connection between the site’s energy resources and EnerNOC; it reads and records a host of detailed energy information, from voltage and current to power levels and power quality, and sends all that data to EnerNOC’s control room, where, says Brewster, “our special sauce is located—the software to manage thousands of distributed energy resources and to do it in a centralized, secure fashion.”

While the software allows for near-immediate, sometimes even automated energy curtailment, its powerful data stream unlocks a world of information to end-users. Suddenly, says Brewster, these sophisticated commercial office properties, industrial facilities and universities, who are used to getting their bills 30 days after the fact and not understanding the line items on them, are seeing real-time energy data. They can log in and see minute by minute exactly how much energy they’re consuming, why and where. And that can be ground-shifting.

Says Brewster, “That then opens their eyes to, ‘hey, why am I getting a peak demand at 6:00 in the morning? It’s because I come in and turn on all my chillers at the same time. Or how much is this actually costing me. Or, you know what, I’m finding out that our chess club is coming into this building and turning on the lights and then leaving them running, and so we’re wasting all this electricity.’ So we start driving energy efficiency and getting customers much more attuned about how they consume electricity.”

With this valuable data in hand, EnerNOC can then work with their customers to reduce energy consumption all the time (not just during peak periods), to monitor and start reducing greenhouse gas emissions and to help them consider and go about procuring renewables.

“Our vision is to be not a one-trick pony,” says Brewster. “Our trick is to become an overall total energy management partner for these commercial and industrial facilities, so we’re helping them think about all their energy decision-making.”

Paving the Way to a Clean Energy Future
Brewster has seen the future of energy and it is clean and bright. It is monitored and metered. It is dispatchable and digital. It is interconnected and smart.

It is slowly starting to roll out.

“In the smart grid,” says Brewster, “there’s going to be the infrastructure layer, all these meters and the copper and the sensors.  And then there’s going to be the application layers, the analytics driving energy efficiency with the data.  And we are very much in the application layer.”

EnerNOC is to the smart grid what applications like eBay, Google and Yahoo are to the hardware network of switches and routers and fiber known as the Internet.

It’s not a far cry from what Brewster and Healy originally had in mind but it’s a different model.

“Our initial vision was that we were going to build the data communications network to link together all these distributed generation assets, these fuel cells and micro-turbines, and we were going to do the remote diagnostics and the metering and verification work,” says Brewster, who adds that in that vision, the customer would have had to pay them.

“On further investigation over the course of a year or so, we came upon the concept of demand response,” Brewster continues, explaining, “We could do everything we were thinking of doing, but we could do it behind a meter.  We didn’t need to interconnect to the grid, we could actually not only use distributed generation, but we could actually do curtailment of demand, energy efficiency, and get paid as if we were selling power back to the grid.“

Before building his virtual power plant, Brewster studied the economics and policy of energy at Duke’s Nicholas School — a “great building block” for his work now, he says, in which a core focus is government and regulatory affairs. (Brewster is now a member of the Nicholas School’s Board of Visitors.)

“I think Duke is just so well positioned for building energy leaders of the future,” he says, “because it has such good undergraduate and graduate programs in the environment, in business, in policy and also in engineering, which are sort of the four pillars of the industry. And there’s such good cross-pollinization and ability to take classes across those institutions.“

Brewster, who as EnerNOC’s president approaches the business from an environmental angle, met CEO Healy, whose approach is more entrepreneurial, at Dartmouth’s Tuck School, where they both received their MBA.

In the decade since the two men took their company from a limited liability company to a corporation traded on the NASDAQ, Brewster and Healy have built up a network of some 8,000 sites and a demand capacity of five gigawatts—the equivalent of several large nuclear power stations.

The idea, says Brewster, is to keep growing their network of virtual power plants—adding more negawatts to the grid, cutting costs and reducing emissions, and ultimately fashioning, he hopes, the “killer app“ of the smart grid.
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