Here Be Dragons

Ben is Valiantly Working, Whilst I Surf.

Netball update: My super league team was second overall at the end of the round robin section. Second by a few points, and well clear of third. We had a huge "for" score, but also a rather bad "against" score. The team in first place had a tiny "for" score, but unfortunately an even tinier "against" score. Should these words be in "" I don't know. We had played them thrice, and lost to them twice.

On Friday we had our semi against them, and damn I wanted to beat them. I wanted it so much I threw myself to the ground in order to flick a loose ball up to my GS. Well actually I just dived for the ball, and flicked it up. Unfortunately, shortly after diving, I landed. Skidded, and bumped my way along the astro-turf. Result: crappy. Big craped knee of bleeding. Jumped up (took a while for the blood to start leaking from my knee) and ran under the post, got the pass from the GS and scored. All who witnessed it marvelled at my commitment.

It was for naught, as in the end we drew. I assumed there would be extra time, but I was wrong. Judge rules... top team in table goes through. WTF? Sod that.

So, a game on Sunday and we lose. Thus we are third. Bah.

However, unlike the Friday game, I didn't really care. I was placed at GS for the entire game, and that was wrong. Why? Well because for all that I'm pretty good as a GS, in that, if I get the ball in the circle, I will generally score, because I'm tall, and really that's all you need. BUT there is a problem if I don't get the ball. If I don't get the ball, then I can't score. As GS I'm meant to (and repeatedly told to) stay in the circle and wait for the ball.

Which I do, and sometimes it works OK. There can be big massive passes into me, and I get them and score. But sometimes, well actually reasonably often against decent oppositions, I don't get the ball. Which is bad.

So I should go play GA, or somewhere else where I'm actually involved in the game and can help get the ball to either the GS, or to me + in the circle so that I can score.

This is not the whinge of a GS left to stand around, do nothing then get the ball for one second, shoot, score, then go back to doing nothing. That is just what happens sometimes, and for the team that is fine, as it is good to win.

This is the comment of someone who knows that it is a waste of team resources to have a big munt stand in the circle doing nothing for the whole game who doesn't get the ball, and is therefore completely redundent. A waste of time.

However, I'm actually (despite what this ranting might indicate) over it. I'm resigned to playing the part the coach/captain told me to play, and I think I played as well as I could have. Thus I don't feel too bad about the situation. I just wish that I had been told to do something which would have invovled being useful, rather than being present.

SANCTUARY!!

Oh God. After a quick TBALC mission to read about Battlestar Galactica, I read the horror.

An interview with Robert Jordan, author of The Wheel of Time. Real name James Oliver Rigney Jr., In it I find that he has released a new book. Ah, book 11 I think, sweet, only one to go, and we will have finished the ponderous saga.

BUT NO.

New Spring is not book 11 in the series, oh no, it is book -2. That's right, it is a prequel to the series, a series as yet incomplete. And it is itself one of three prequels to come.

Now this simply isn't cricket. the guy started out with a six book plan. Then that stretched out a tad, and finally morphed into a 12 book monstrosity, and now he has added three books prior to the 12, giving us 15 books?

I'll let the Amazon reviews comment, starting with with dtstrange:

So let's get this straight!! The guy can't finish his own series. The books just go on and on and never stop, then, when even his most hard core fans are standing on the cliff ready to pitch the ten book collection into the sea, Jordan comes out with a NEW book, which is nothing more then an extended short story that he ALREADY published??? Did I miss something here?

(The basis for this book was released in Legends)

psioxjk is also on my page:

...why is he going to write three prequels? A Trilogy prequel? This is not Star Wars. Even the prequels of the First Star Wars Trilogy are disappointing considering the main character of the prequels is going to become Darth Vader anyway. The same goes for Jordan's prequel(s).

In answer to the interviewer's question on how many and how will the series be completed Jordan answered with:

The plan is to do a main sequence book—which I'm working on now, and then a prequel, then another main sequence book and another prequel.

AH! What?! Ultinating between prequel and sequel? This sucks Beavis.

Now, I'll admit it. I liked this series when it started out, and even the first few books. But maaaaaan it is slooow. 12-15 books? No. The world is pretty cool, and most of the concepts and ideas he has are cool, and make a good story, but some of the books just don't go anywhere. Something happens, but you aren't really sure what, and you sure as hell don't know why it took an entire book for this one thing to happen. Especially when there are about 100 characters and plot lines moving around. I will certainly be reading this "once it is over" eta 2021, and "from the library" rather than from my personal collection. No profit for him say I.

For those of you reading along at home. Mmmh Hgauh Glaben. With the Geek. (Ben and I are eBay trolling)

Pseudo thesis wank: I must say that someone has done well. Recently referred to the House's Committee on the Judiciary was a bill labelled the Protecting Intellectual Rights Against Theft and Expropriation Act of 2004, in other words the PIRATE Act. That is silly. But good job on getting that name, and on using expropriation. It is even better, I think than the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 or the CAN-SPAM Act.

Someone is no doubt making a somewhat honest living out of these names, and I imagine it is rather entertaining.

Oh, and the PIRATE Act is a scam. It would essentially mean that federal agencies could sue you in civil as well as criminal court for P2P infringing (over a set level) and if they win the copyright holders can still sue you in civil proceedings for the same thing. Essentially getting the DOJ to do the RIAA's work for it, and allow the RIAA to kick back and relax. Shib. Go read the Wired article on the act, and shiver your timbers.

Finally. Goodnews all-round [via some punk I can't remember, but hey found it somewhere else as well].

Posted by luther at March 31, 2004 04:03 AM | TrackBack